Peers to challenge assisted suicide law

Published on Sunday 31 May 2009 14:10

High profile politicians are to attempt to lift the threat of prosecution hanging over those helping the terminally ill travel outside the UK for assisted suicide.

There has been a recent upsurge in the number of Britons choosing to travel abroad to end their lives.

Family members and friends providing help to those travelling to clinics such as Dignitas in Switzerland face prosecution as assisted suicide is still banned under UK law.

An estimated 800 Britons are now members of the Dignitas clinic, support group Dignity in Dying said.

And 34 people have been given the "green light" by the clinic allowing them to proceed with their assisted suicides.

Peers led by former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer and Baroness Jay, former leader of the House of Lords, are to table an amendment this week to the Coroners and Justice Bill to try and lift the threat of prosecution currently faced by those helping somebody commit assisted suicide overseas.

Sarah Wootton chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said the current laws governing assisted suicide were "out of step" with public feeling.

She said: "Parliament urgently needs to acknowledge the fact that people are travelling overseas to die and this trend shows no sign of stopping.

"People are losing faith in Parliament and its ability to reflect the will of the electorate.

"Given that poll after poll has shown that 80% of the public support a change in the law, it's time that the 1961 Suicide Act was brought into line with current public opinion and current prosecuting policy."

She explained that around 800 Britons were now Dignitas members.

Membership is seen as the first step in the process of assisted suicide.

Baroness Jay told the Observer: "It's a tragic anomaly that people who are giving a last loving assistance to a loved one find themselves under threat of 14 years' imprisonment if they do.

"Having made the very difficult decision to travel abroad to somewhere like Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal, someone would want the sort of support they would expect here from a husband, wife or loved one.

"The law in this area is a fudge and parliamentarians are lagging behind public opinion on this."